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But Ballack does flinch more than he might have done had Arsenal’s
captain, as he claims, simply lunged towards him. And Brown was still
pretty miffed yesterday — so much so that he accused the BBC of
questioning his integrity when they dared doubt his account of the
events in the tunnel.

But there is a bigger issue here with Fabregas and it concerns the lack of respect he too often appears to have for his opponents. For Sir Alex Ferguson when he threw the pizza. For Mark Hughes when he said Blackburn’s football represented a betrayal of everything he presumed he had learned in his time at Barcelona. Even for Teddy Sheringham when he thumped the then 39-year-old at Upton Park after the final whistle.

Harsh words: Fabregas and Mark Hughes, now manager of Manchester City, clash at the end of a game against Blackburn

Head to head: Fabregas clashes with former England striker Teddy
Sheringham at the final whistle of a League game against West Ham in
2007

Slightly lesser-known members of the football community can probably reflect on similar experiences: the players Fabregas, understandably perhaps, considers inferior.

‘In our two seasons in the Premier League the thing that really got us was how little respect we got from certain opponents,’ said one player to Sportsmail once the tape on the interview had been turned off. ‘And the worst for that was Fabregas. He wouldn’t even look at you, never mind shake your hand.’

Spitting at someone is, of course, significantly more offensive and a reason why El Hadji Diouf has become such an unpopular figure in England. Nobody ever talks about his brilliance at the 2002 World Cup or the charity he has set up for underprivileged children in England and in his native Senegal. He’s a spitter. End of story.

The man they hate to love: Diouf

Not that everyone is put off. Sam Allardyce seems to like him and when Diouf signed for Sunderland, Roy Keane actually listed his pariah-like status as a reason for buying him. ‘He has always been the kind of player opposition supporters hate, a thorn in the side. That’s why we’re delighted to have him.’

With Fabregas, however, it is different — not just because he is the kind of player we want to admire and, more importantly, want to respect.

He is one of the finest midfielders in the world, a player who walked away from his beloved Barcelona to develop under the expert guidance of Arsene Wenger. A player who has not only made a name for himself in England but made a home for himself, too. He has left the Catalan capital to live in Cockfosters.

His manager adores him and so do his team-mates. Robin van Persie described him on these pages as the ‘heartbeat of the Arsenal team’ and after Tuesday’s turbulent FA Cup clash, Theo Walcott was similarly gushing in his praise.

‘He is our captain and such a big player for this club,’ he said. ‘It will be brilliant for us when he finally returns from injury.’

To supporters of Arsenal, and perhaps even supporters from other clubs, he was brilliant on Tuesday night. He was there on the bench for the duration of the game and he was there on the pitch, dressed like a member of the Barcelona ultras, after the final whistle.

Ultra fired-up: Fabregas clashes with Hull City at the Emirates

He was there, executing every pass, making every tackle, willing his team-mates to victory, and he was at their side when the football ended and the four-letter exchanges began. That is the kind of captain every club would dearly love to have. The boy has passion and ability in equal abundance.

In an interview he gave to this newspaper three years ago, he was quite charming, too, and honest enough, even at 18, to admit that his temper can get the better of him.

Reflecting on his red-card challenge on Everton’s Tim Cahill, he said: ‘Sometimes in football you have feelings you cannot stop. I got what I deserved. A red card, a three-match suspension. It will never happen again, I hope.

‘But sometimes in football you have to show your character. When things aren’t going well, people think you are down, that you are somehow scared. I’m not scared of anything and maybe I showed the other part of myself when I am a bit angry.

‘At this club they know I want to win. In midfield, everywhere you have a battle and you have to try to win it.’

There is nothing wrong with that and Fabregas does seem to know the difference between right and wrong. In Spain he had a good upbringing, with parental support from a father who owns a property company and a mother who runs her own pastry firm. Presumably, they taught him to conduct himself in a certain way and show people — midfield opponents included — the respect they deserve.

If Fabregas is guilty of spitting, then he needs to apologise. But even if the apology never comes, even if Fabregas is, in fact, innocent, the least he needs to do is grow up.